In September 2014, the Iranian-backed Houthi coup against the state was the worst coup that Yemen has witnessed throughout its history when the Houthis overthrew the state and waged a fierce war on political life in the country.

 

The Islah Party remained the cohesive and strong political component whose heroes emerged and went out on all battlefields to confront the Houthi militias and join the ranks of the popular resistance. It is the only party that issued a statement in support of the Alliance to support legitimacy led by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and as a result, it paid a heavy price, as the leaders and members of the Islah Party were subjected to abuses and abductions by the Houthi militias in all Governorates controlled by the Houthis, and many of them were displaced.

 

The Islah Party also provided strong and continuous support for the state and its institutions and continued to stand by the Yemeni people in the face of the Houthi militia. In all the liberation battles, the Islah Party continued to provide support to the National Army and the Popular Resistance, in addition to the Islah Party's leaders and members also making huge sacrifices for the sake of the homeland and the freedom of the Yemeni people.

 

Many leaders and members of the Islah Party were martyred and injured in those battles, at a time when others are still imprisoned in the prisons of the Houthi militias. All of these sacrifices demonstrate the solidity of the Party’s position in the face of Houthi terrorism and criminality, and we must also not forget the Islah Party's tireless efforts to rebuild the state and restore security and stability in Yemen.

 

In this report, we will try to mention some examples - In the interest of brevity - that talk about the sacrifices of the leaders and symbols of the Islah Party in the various Governorates that witnessed battles against the Houthi coup, which prove their sacrifices and struggle against the Houthi coup.

 

- Spirit and Body of the National Bloc:

 

Dr. Saleh Hassan Sumaie, member of the Permanent Committee of the General People’s Congress and Governor of Al-Mahwit, testifies, stressing that “the Islah Party is considered the spearhead, the soul and the body of the historical bloc of national forces in Yemen.”

 

He added, like other political, social, cultural, and media elites, the Yemeni Islah Party, as in all national issues, had a decisive role against the expansion project of the Iranian mullahs in the governorates of Ma’rib and Taiz, and it, along with all the good forces, supported the National Army and the Popular Resistance.

 

Sumaie continued, saying, “The Islah Party, along with all the national forces, led by the General Peopuler Congress, constitute the nation’s safety valve in the past and present, and they will continue to lead the country toward a safe and prosperous future.”

 

- Islah Party's media:

 

A report issued by the Information and Culture Department of the Yemeni Islah Party on June 9, 2020, monitored the sacrifices made by the Islah Party media in its battle against the Houthi coup by publishing facts and news.

 

The report showed that the Islah Party media outlets were subjected to 767 cases of violations, which resulted in the death of 11 journalists and the injury of 23 others. These violations included physical attacks and threats against Islah Party media workers.

 

According to the report, the Houthi militia kidnapped 120 media professionals affiliated with the Islah Party during the period from September 2014 until June 2020, and 22 media professionals were subjected to enforced disappearance. In the same context, the homes of media professionals were attacked and the home of another media professional was occupied, in addition to 37 media professionals being dismissed from their jobs and 22 media institutions affiliated with the Islah Party were looted.

 

17 online news websites affiliated with the Islah Party were blocked, and 54 Islah media professionals were tortured during their detention. As a result of these targetings, 178 reformist media professionals were displaced from their governorates and 25 others outside Yemen.

 

- Abducted Islahis:

 

With regard to abducting crimes, thousands of members and leaders of the Islah Party were abducted by the Houthi militia, and among the prominent leaders who were abducted was Mr. Muhammad Qahtan, a member of the Supreme Authority of the Yemeni Islah Party, one of the most prominent leaders of the Islah Party, where nine years have passed since he was abducted and forcibly disappeared in the prisons of the Houthi militia.

 

The militia also abducted thousands of the Party's leaders and members, including political activists, academics, and journalists. There are others who were forcibly displaced from their homes and homeland.

 

- The sacrifices of the Islah Party in Al-Jawf Governorate:

 

As for the sacrifices of the Islah Party in the Governorates, Al-Jawf Governorate is considered the most prominent example of sacrifice, where the Office of the Yemeni Islah Party branch in Al-Jawf played a prominent role in defending the state and confronting the Iranian project on various fronts of the conflict, and the leaders of the Executive Office of the Islah Party in Al-Jawf made great sacrifices for the sake of restoring stability to the country and overthrow the coup. Among the leaders who were martyred on the battlefields were:

• Abdullah Muhammad Shihat - Head of the Department of Information and Culture.
• Naji Musleh Nasam - Head of the Social Department.
• Ahmed Mohsen Najdah - Head of the Political Department.
• Mohsen Obaid al-Shawi - Head of the Elections Department.
• Khaled Mohsen al-Hadi - Head of the Education Department.
• Abdullah Mohsen Askar - Head of the Guidance Department.
• Mubarak Hamad al-Aubadi - Head of the Department of Information and Culture.
• Muslih Muslih Sharyan - Head of the Elections Department.
• Muhammad Musleh Nasam - Head of the Unions Department.
• Abdel Hadi Hawam - Head of the Judicial Department
• Khaled Hamama - Head of the Education Department.
• Mansour Yahya al-Shajani - Services Department.
• Hamid Zaid Bin Afia - Health Sector.

 

The aforementioned leaders were at the forefront of confronting the coup and provided lessons in sacrifice for the sake of the nation. Along with these leaders, there are many leaders of the branches of the Islah Party in Al-Jawf who sacrificed their lives in order to restore the state and overthrow the coup.

 

- Marib Islah Party:

 

In the context of confronting the coup forces and defending the homeland, in cooperation with the rest of the political components in Marib, the Islah Party branch in Marib played a major role from the beginning of the Houthi coup until today, and Marib has become a unique model of strength and steadfastness in the face of the threats of the Houthi militias.

 

The gatherings established in Marib are considered a decisive factor in the course of the confrontations and strengthening support for the army and the resistance, as the Islah Party, in cooperation with the liberals in Marib, made huge national sacrifices, embodied in thousands of martyrs, wounded and disabled. These are the heroes who eluded the arrogance of the Houthi militias, and they became a symbol. To resist and endure.

 

- Mahwit Governorate Reform Party:

 

The leaders and members of the Islah Party in Al Mahwit also made sacrifices on the way to confronting the Houthi militia and restoring the state. Among the most prominent leaders who were martyred were: Lawyer Muhammad Al-Sayyad, head of the legal department of the Islah Al-Mahwit Party, who was martyred at the entrance to the city of Marib while resisting the Houthi gang, and Commander Hamoud Ali Al-Harbi, head of the Islah Al-Mahwit Party, who was martyred in the city of Midi while defending the Republic.

 

Also, some leaders and members of the Islah Party in Al Mahwit were subjected to crimes of assassination and kidnapping by the Houthi militia, as three members of the Islah Party were assassinated in the governorate, namely: Abdo Mohsen Al-Assad, Abdo Rashid Farea, and Abdo Qayed Sharqan, in addition to the martyrdom of other leaders in various areas, including Mr. Nasser Ahmed Ali, head of the Islah Party in Al-Khabt District, the leaders of the Islah Party in the Haffash District, Mr. Abdul Latif Al-Aden and Mr. Khaled Al-Haj, and the journalist Nabil Al-Jarbani, who was martyred on the Midi Front, in addition to Mr. Abdul Khaleq Al-Qadiri, one of the most prominent leaders in the Bani Saad District.

 

A number of leaders, members, cadres and activists of the Islah Party in Al Mahwit were subjected to kidnapping, torture, and were forcibly hidden in the Houthi coup detention centers. The most prominent crime that occurred was the kidnapping of Islah Party member Dr. Ali Awdah and his torture to death in one of the secret militia prisons in Shibam.

 

Number of kidnapped party members and leaders in the governorate: Forced disappearance of about 40 members of the Islah Party, and the kidnapping (arbitrary arrest) of about 400 members of the Islah Party, some of whom are still in prison, and some of them whose families were unable to know their whereabouts, and the fate of many was either arrest or detention. Or survival, escape, and homelessness.

 

Members of the Islah Party in Aden and the southern governorates:

 

Regarding Aden and the rest of the southern governorates, after their liberation from the evil of the terrorism of the Houthi militia, the treacherous hands of terrorism began assassinating reformist leaders and other leaders of the southern resistance from various directions, as well as assassinating mosque preachers. They played a prominent role in liberating Aden and the cities of the south. These assassinations aimed to break their will and prevent them from continuing their established national role in restoring the state.

 

Among the victims of terrorist assassinations was the martyr Awad Fadaak, a leader in the Islah Party. Among the first reformist leaders to be subjected to assassinations was the martyr Saleh bin Hulays, the former head of the Executive Office, on August 15, 2016. This was followed by the assassination of a member of the local Shura Council of the Islah Party, Sheikh Fayez Fouad, in December 2017, and the assassination of Sheikh Shawqi Al-Kamadi in February 2018. Leader Safwan Al-Sharjabi was also targeted, and the atrocities became clear in the assassination of the reformist leader Muhammad Shejina hours after his abduction in October 2018, days after the assassination of the reformist Ali Al-Daousi, and other reformist leaders and cadres were subjected to assassination.

 

A number of Islah Party leaders were also subjected to failed assassination attempts and explosive devices were planted under their vehicles. Some Islah Party headquarters were raided and burned and bombs were detonated there. But the most horrific attack was the terrorist attack on the headquarters of the Executive Office, from which the head of Aden Islah Party, MP Insaf Mayo, survived in late December 2015. Other leaders were subjected to kidnapping, enforced disappearance, and torture, while many were forced to leave the city.

 

- Al Dhali' Governorate:

 

In Al-Dhali' Governorate, the hands of terrorism assassinated the leader of the Islah Party, Abd al-Raqib Quzai', in the city of Al-Dhali'. This incident was preceded by the assassination of journalist and leader of the Islah Party, Zaki Al-Saqaldi, in October 2018, and the leader, Khaled Ghaiman on July 25, 2019.

 

- Shabwa Governorate:

 

Members of the Islah Party in Shabwa Governorate played a prominent role in resistance and sacrifice. On May 21, 2015, the governor of Shabwa, the leader of the Islah Party, Ali Ahmed Bahaj, was martyred while leading the popular resistance front for the liberation of the Governorate. Leaders Omar al-Khasha’i and Ahmed al-Musaabi were also martyred, as well as Fadhl al-Toumi al-Qumaishi, who was head of the Islah Party of Saeid Shabwa and a leader in the Bayhan Islah Party.

 

Among the victims of the recent assassinations that the Governorate witnessed was Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdullah al-Bani, a member of the local Shura Council of the Islah Party, in an assassination operation by criminal elements after he performed the Eid sermon and prayer near the Place of Eid prayer this year, and that heinous crime was shocking to the people of Shabwa in general and Bayhan in particular, and the joy of Eid turned into deep sadness.

 

Sheikh Abdullah al-Bani was a symbol and a national figure in the Bayhan Directorate. He had an effective role in working and developing the community. He was also distinguished by his experience and administrative competence in the various positions he held, whether as Acting Director General of the Bayhan Directorate or the Director of the Health Office in the Directorate. He lost his son in the resistance against the militias in Beihan.

 

- Taiz Governorate:

 

Taiz Governorate, in which a strong popular resistance had formed, and at the forefront of the ranks of the resistance were the Islahis supporting the national army. Among them, the leader Faisal Hassan al-Mikhlafi, and the martyr Sadiq Mansour al-Haidari, Assistant Secretary-General of the Islah Party in the Governorate, were martyred at the hands of coup terrorism by bombing their car on November 18, 2015.

 

Also, the fighter and resistor Muhammad Hussein Taher, who was a former member of parliament, was martyred, and Sheikh Srur al-Muhammadi, Abdullah Ahmed Abdul Aziz, Mansour al-Silwi, Jamal al-Qirshi, Muhammad al-Suhaibi, Amin Tarbush and other leaders of the Islah Party were also martyred. The criminal hand also assassinated Omar Dawkam, known as the "Knight of the Word."

 

Dhamar Governorate:

 

On April 23, 2016, leader Hassan al-Yaeeri, Chairman of the Shura Council of the Yemeni Islah Party, was assassinated by unknown gunmen in front of his house. This assassination caused a great shock among the people of Dhamar Governorate.

 

Hassan al-Yaeeri was a prominent figure in the Governorate. He participated in founding the Islah Party in Dhamar and served as head of the Party’s Executive Office in the Governorate for three consecutive terms before being elected as head of the Shura Council in the Governorate.

 

- Ibb Governorate:

 

In Ibb, on November 7, 2015, the leader of the Islah Party, Nayef al-Jama’i, was martyred while participating in the battle to liberate the city of Damt in Al-Dhali' Governorate from the grip of the Houthis. Al-Jama’i made his precious sacrifices in order to restore legitimacy.

 

Before him, the head of the Political Department of the Islah Party in Ibb Governorate, Amin al-Rajawi, was martyred on May 21, 2015, after he was abducted by the Houthi criminal militia and placed with dozens of detainees as human shields in one of the buildings in which weapons were stored.

 

The head of the Islah Party of the Hubaysh Directorate, Muhammad al-Shami, and the head of the Islah Party of the Dhu al-Sifal Directorate, Mansour Ali Saif, were also martyred, in addition to Hamid al-Sha’uri and Rashad al-Baadani.

 

On various fronts, the youth of the Islah Party, coming from the Ibb Governorate are distributed, sacrificing their lives to liberate Yemen from the slavery of the Houthi priesthood. Some of them were martyred in the battle for national dignity, others were injured with various injuries, and large numbers of them were thrown into militia prisons under torture.

 

- Hudaydah Governorate:

 

In the prisons of the Houthi militia in Hudaydah, Muhammad Abu Zaid, a leader in the Islah Party in Al-Zaidiyah Directorate, was martyred under torture. Likewise, the leader Muhammad al-Hushaibri from the Al-Qanawis Directorate, the leader of the Islah Party in the Hays Directorate, Ali al-Ammar. The leader of the Islah Party in the Zaidiya Directorate, Abakar Barkhali, was martyred after the militia placed him as a human shield in a location that was targeted by warplanes of the Arab Alliance.

 

In the same place, the leader Ahmed Haj, and the leader of the Hudaydah Islah Party, Abdul Salam al-Shamiri and Ibrahim Ali Ayyash, were martyred while confronting the coup plotters.

 

- Raymah Governorate:

 

In Raymah, the leader Ahmed al-Dhari’i, a member of the Executive Office of the Islah Party, was martyred while participating with the heroes of the army and the resistance on the Nihm front, east of Sana’a.

 

There are dozens of martyrs from the leaders and cadres of the Islah Party. Rimah's youth are still participating in the national battle on various fronts.

 

- Al-Baydha Governorate:

 

From Al-Baydha Governorate, the leader of the Islah Party in Al-Zahir Directorate, Abdul Qadir al-Humayqani, and Saleh al-Faqir, the leader of the Dhi Na’im Islah Party, were martyred. From the city of Al-Baydha, Muhammad al-Sanduh was martyred. The leader of the Islah Party in Al-Shariya Directorate, Dr. Abdullah al-Salali, was martyred in Sirwah, after his son who preceded him, and the leader of the Dhi Na’im Islah Party, as well as the martyr Muhammad Salem Al-Somai.

 

- The Islah Party is at the forefront:

 

Muhammad Ali al-Masnnaee, deputy head of the Political Department of the Justice and Construction Party, commented on the sacrifices and positions of the Islah Party during its struggle and stressed that the Islah Party was at the forefront of the ranks in confronting the Houthi militia, which rebelled against the state and took control of the capital, Sana’a, in 2014.

 

He pointed out that the leaders, members, and supporters of the Islah Party provided the finest examples of sacrifice for the sake of the state, the republic, and the country’s national constants.

 

He added, "Although there is a difference in opinions and criticism directed at the Islah Party, it is considered a unitary republican Party that extends throughout the nation from north to south and from east to west, and they did not hesitate to confront the terrorist Houthi militia."

 

He pointed out that it is difficult to find any leader or member of the Islah Party who supports or stands by the Houthi militia.